1. Field
The presently disclosed subject matter relates to a vehicle lamp that includes a wiring harness, a wiring clip for fixing the wiring harness and a casing to which the wiring clip is affixed, and more particularly to a vehicle lamp further including a rib in the casing wherein a feature of the vehicle lamp includes adjustable force for fixing the wiring clip to the rib of the vehicle lamp casing.
2. Description of the Related Art
A vehicle vibrates due operation of the engine and will sometimes get a jolt or other road vibrations when the vehicle is moving. Therefore, a wiring harness in a vehicle may come away from a socket, etc., due to the engine or road vibrations and movements. For example, a connecter or the like may break in the middle thereof due to the vibration, jolt, shock, etc. Accordingly, a wiring clip for fixing the wiring harness is one of the important parts in a vehicle. Consequently, a conventional vehicle lamp including a wiring harness, a wiring clip having a holding function for fixing the wiring harness, and a casing to which the wiring clip is affixed is well known.
An exemplary embodiment of the conventional vehicle lamp including a wiring harness, a wiring clip, and a casing is disclosed in patent document No. 1 (Japanese Patent Application Laid Open 2004-273352). FIGS. 6A and B are diagrams depicting a conventional wiring clip disclosed in patent document No. 1, wherein FIG. 6(A) is a top view thereof and FIG. 6(B) is a front view thereof. The wiring clip 10 is composed of a zonal member 11 including screw holes 12 at both ends thereof. The zonal member 11 sandwiches a wiring harness 14 in an opening 13 formed by wrapping the zonal member 11 about the wiring harness 14 as shown in FIG. 6B. The wiring clip 10 holding the wiring harness 14 can be fixed to a casing of the vehicle lamp by a screw 15 inserted via the screw holes 12 and then attached to the vehicle lamp casing. Thus, the wiring harness 14 can be fixed to the casing of the vehicle lamp via the wiring clip 10.
In the above-described vehicle lamp, the conventional method for fixing the wiring harness 14 to the casing is assured, however, the method requires two processes, including both wrapping the wiring harness 14 with the wiring clip 10 and screwing the wiring clip 10 with the screw 15. In addition, it may be difficult to carry out both processes in such a small case as in the casing of a vehicle lamp, especially due to the trend in minimization of vehicle lamps.
Another exemplary embodiment of a conventional vehicle lamp including a wiring harness, wiring clip, and lamp casing is disclosed in patent document No. 2 (Japanese Patent Application Laid Open Hei11-55835). FIGS. 7A and B are diagrams depicting the conventional wiring clip disclosed in patent document No. 2, wherein FIG. 7(A) is a top view thereof and FIG. 7(B) is a front view thereof. The disclosed method for fixing a wiring harness to the casing in this conventional example does not require the process of using a screw and screw hole to secure the wiring clip to the lamp casing.
According to the conventional wiring clip disclosed in the vehicle lamp shown in FIGS. 7A and B, the wiring clip 20 is composed of both a clip body 21 that is made of resin and a spring clip 24 that is made of metal. The clip body 21 includes a wire holder 22 for holding a wiring harness 30 and hooks 23 for attaching the spring clip 24 to the clip body 21. The wiring harness 30 is attached to the wire holder 22 via a tape 31 or a wire, etc. The spring clip 24 is incorporated in the clip body 21 and is attached to the clip body 21 by the hooks 23. The spring clip 24 is U-shaped and includes two spring boards 24a at each of the U-shaped sides and each side including a locking click 24b on the two spring boards 24a. The two spring boards 24a constantly bias towards each inner side and to each other and move towards each outer side to each other by pressing each locking click 24b from a U-shaped top surface. Thus, a top surface between each locking click 24b is constantly closed. However, the top surface of the spring clip 24 opens when pressing strongly between each locking click 24b. 
When the vehicle lamp is affixed to the wiring clip 20 that holds the wiring harness 30 with the wire holder 22 thereof, a rib in the casing of the vehicle lamp presses between each locking click 24b. Then, the top surface between each locking click 24b opens and the rib enters in the spring clip 24. Because the two spring boards 24a of the spring clip 24 are constantly biased towards each inner side to each other, the rib fixes between the two spring boards 24a and therefore the wiring clip 20 can be fixed to the rib in the casing of the vehicle lamp. Thus, the wiring clip 20 holding the wiring harness 30 can be affixed to the casing of the vehicle lamp without a process of screwing.
However, in the above-described wiring clip 20, the spring clip 24 is made of a metallic spring having a complex shape that is made by a flat spring. The spring clip 24 is also required to be incorporated in the clip body 21 which has a complex shape. Therefore, when the rib in the casing of the vehicle lamp is inserted between each locking click 24b of the clip 24, there is a possibility that a force of the elastic deformation between each locking click 24b greatly varies with respect to respective wiring clips 20.
In addition, the above-described wiring clip 20 is not required to screw to the casing of the vehicle lamp. However, the wiring clip 20 is required to wrap about the wiring harness 30 including the wire holder 22 using a tape, a wire, etc. Moreover, once the wiring harness 30 is held with the wire holder 22 of the wiring clip 20, an attachable range of the wiring clip 20 is limited to a movable distance of the wiring harness 30. Thus, a great deal of attention is required concerning the holding position of the wiring harness 30, especially with respect to a diameter of the wiring harness 30, a hardness, etc.
The above-referenced Patent Documents are listed below.
1. Patent document No. 1: Japanese Patent Application Laid Open 2004-273352
2. Patent document No. 2: Japanese Patent Application Laid Open Hei11-55835
The disclosed subject matter has been devised to consider the above and other problems, characteristics and features. Thus, an embodiment of the disclosed subject matter can include a vehicle lamp including a wiring harness, a wiring clip and a casing, wherein a feature of the vehicle lamp can include providing for an adjustable force for fixing the wiring clip to the casing of the lamp. The adjustable force can be determined according to an elastic intensity of the wiring clip, a diameter of the wiring harness, a hardness, a weight, etc. Furthermore, the vehicle lamp wiring clip does not require the above-described two processes of both wrapping the wiring harness with a wire holder of the wiring clip using tape or the like, and/or screwing the wiring clip to the casing with a screw, etc.